Osteo Arthritis

There is a slight grating sound that can be heard with a stethscope on the back of the knee. The main problem is the swelling of the tissue around the knee for which I used Apis 6 and later Arnica 6 with no positive result.
I am hoping that some remedy that I have not used can be suggested by someone which will do what Voltaren does to shut down the pain and also reduce the swelling.

The pain is localised in the knees only. The stiffness is in the left knee which is the more sensitive of the two.

Voltaren is Diclofenac Sodium and is a Nonsteriodal Anti-inflammatory agent.
It works like magic to relieve the distress and is used by my wife only on a SOS basis.

A knee guard also provides some comfort and I feel that if the exudation of the fluid can be controlled in her left knee, her problem can be solved.

Thank you for your inputs.

The swelling is only perceptible when both knees are compared and is about 5% enlarged. I presume that this is due to the plasma which the knee joint exudes which is not drained away like in the other good knee. The swelling is only very slight but the pain and stiffness is in this knee. The Apis 6 I gave her does not reduce the swelling.

Her BP is very low at 110/60 pulse 65. No diabetes or other ailments. She is on a Beta blocker twice daily for Glaucoma and this can be the cause of her knee pain, but she cannot be taken off this drug as her eye pressure is 25. In any case she was on the eye drops for about 4 years but her knee problems which are familial, like the eye problems, started before the eye drops.

Thank you for your interest.

She has had a very good medical history and an observation I have made is that all the sisters in her family seem to have inherited a weakness of their Quadriceps muscles from their mother which lead to their plonking down on chairs when sitting down and also going down the stairs with a bang of their footwear thereby loading the knee joints unnecessarily. This seems to cause the cartilage in the joint to exude liquid which is not absorbed causing the swelling and pain.

She tries to do some exercise but it is not sufficient to tone up the quads to help her to step down stairs without causing the extra pressure.

Her eye pressure is checked regularly and it is has not increased above 25 for about a year. She uses BETAGAN 0.5% but I do not think that this can cause the problem.

No other ailments such as those you mentioned.

Description of Betagan below:

BETAGAN (levobunolol HCl)

Liquifilm sterile ophthalmic solution is a noncardioselectlve beta-adrenoceptor blocking agent for ophthalmic use. Chemical Name: (-)-5-[3-(tert-Butylamino) -2-hydroxypropoxyl]-3,4-dihydro-l(2H) -naphthalenone hydrochloride.

BETAGAN 0.25% and 0.5% Contains - Active: levobunolol HCl 0.25% or 0.5%. Preservative: benzalkonium chloride 0.00490 Inactives: Liquifilm (polyvinyl alcohol) 1.4%; edetate disodium; sodium metabisulfite; sodium phosphate, dibasic; potassium phosphate, monobasic; sodium chloride; hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide to adjust pH; and purified water.

Hi Pankaj,

I had never thought of giving her Bryonia and shall do so immediately. I wonder if I should give her the 6c or 30c potency. I would prefer the 6c as she will have to take it for a long time if it gives her any relief.

What do you advice ?

Kind Regards

Joe

The response to Bry 6c 2 balls x 3/d has not been positive so far and she had to take 1 tablet Voltaren/day to survive the work load when she is on her feet. It is remarkably how this drug reduces the swelling and also alleviates the discomfort in her knee. The ideal Homeopathic remedy should be able to replace Voltaren.

We have not given up hope and she is taking Bry with the drug.

I shall keep you informed of her progress.

Pankaj

Thank you for your suggestion of using Bryonia Q. Unfortunately I do not have it in my stock of remedies and shall try to get it locally. If I fail I shall have to get it from Mumbai and this will take a few weeks.

Homeopathic remedies are just not available here in Sri Lanka off the counter but I have a stock of about 300 remedies in liquid form which I use to activate lactose balls to treat my friends who come to me with their ailments, free of charge.

Hermie just cannot survive without taking one tablet of Voltaren 50mg daily as she is unable to walk down the stairs without it. She is very busy now with arrangements for my 75th B'day party and promises to take only the Homeopathic remedies after it.

Joe

Pankaj,

I have great pleasure in recording that Hermie's problem with her knee has been resolved by the Bryonia 6 that she has been taking for about 3 weeks. She took it regularly 3 times daily with 1 tablet Voltaren up to Oct 19th and has since stopped this drug. The swelling is not perceptible any more and the stiffness and pain have also left her. She is now quite comfortable going down the stairs and the Bryonia you recommended has worked the miracle. Thank you ever so much for having thought of this remedy which I did not think of myself, many years ago. You cannot understand the blessed relief that she now enjoys after having taken all those drugs which only provided temporary relief by supressing the pain as long as they were taken daily. The Voltaren 50mg which she took when the pain was bothering her would have eventually lead to other problems with her system.

I hope that the curative effect of Bry 6 will last unlike the other remedies that I have used throughout the years which were only effective for a limited period. The question now is, for how long she should be on Bry 6. I feel that she should use this remedy daily, perhaps at a reduced dosage of twice daily for about 2 months and then just once daily thereafter. You also adviced me to give her Kali Phos and Fer Phos 6x. I have not given them to her so far and wonder if I should do so now, since the knee seems to be under control with the Bry 6.

Thank you once again for suggesting this Miracle Remedy which has cured Hermie's arthritic knee.

Joe